emet_sulk | [avalon] IC Inbox

Hythlodaeus is at least good at bouncing back, and only arches an eyebrow at that comment.

"Stale? You seemed to be enjoying yourself quite a bit to me. How do you like finally seeing things from my side? After all, that is the kind of entertainment I've had at your expense for many centuries."

He smiles, taking a sip of his tea, feeling more balanced again.

"There is a certain pleasure to it, yes."

He drops his gaze to the omelette in front of him, delicately picking up his knife and fork to begin cutting in. It partially hides the smile he wears now, fond and faint.

"...One that I never thought I would experience," he adds softly.

Sitting here with his friend, taking their ease with the soft murmur of other patrons around them - a quiet pleasure he had taken for granted back then. He will never make that mistake again. Every moment is precious. Every second of every minute of every hour...

Is this what it's like to be mortal?

Hythlodaeus smiles in return, just as fondly if more openly than Hades himself. He feels... warm, content, at peace, and that kind of warmth, he thinks, is better than the earlier fire between them. There is certainly a lot to be said for the thrill of open flirting and the playful promises masquerading as threats, but in the end Hythlodaeus knows that what he really wants is this gentle intimacy, quiet enjoyment of each other's company, of each other's existence. Just... being, together. It's worth millennia upon millennia of passionate nights - although, of course, Hythlodaeus would not object to those, either.

"Then I am happy that I could help you experience it, Agesandros," he replies, his voice gentle and fond. "Even if it should at times come at the expense of the more superficial parts of my pride," he adds with another, cheekier smile. "But I am ready to sacrifice those for you."

He rolls his eyes and shakes his head but offers no further comment, focused on enjoying his meal. The omelette is delicious, as it turns out. He makes a mental note of the ingredients in this particular one - mayhap he can replicate it later - and listens to whatever nonsense Hythlodaeus may chatter at him as they eat, nodding or commenting appropriately.

Every now and then he glances up simply to look at the other man. The way Hythlodaeus tucks loose hair behind one ear, or picks up his fork, the half-smile on his face as he eats, or the more blissful expression he makes sipping at his tea. All these things he commits to memory, afraid of letting it slip through his fingers.

This...this is what he wanted when he set out to repair their star and the souls upon it.

As their meal winds down, he settles back with the remainder of his coffee, staring over the edge of the loft again. It all feels so fragile, he thinks, melancholic. Please let it last this time.

Edited 2020-12-16 02:48 (UTC)

Hythlodaeus is not unaware of the glances his friend keeps stealing at him, and answers a couple of them with a questioning look of his own, but every time Hades simply looks away, as though it's of no consequence, and eventually Hythlodaeus just lets it go, smiling fondly to himself. It's almost amusing how Hades still goes for such subtle expressions of affection in addition to his much more shameless nature now.

Actually...

Hythlodaeus looks down at his dessert while his friend gazes over the railing again, and finds his lips spreading into a grin. He props up his chin on his hand again, leaning forward slightly.

"Agesandros~" he draws out the name playfully. "Would you like to try my dessert?"

He chokes on his coffee. Between the pet name and the teasing lilt of Hythlodaeus' voice, the implication could not be clearer. As he tries to cough out the few drops which went the wrong way down his windpipe, he looks to Hyth, eyes watering.

"I-- ah, that is, I would love to," he splutters. "And you may try some of mine as well."

And he knows exactly how Hythlodaeus probably plans to share their desserts as well.

Hythlodaeus does not even try to hide the look of triumph on his face, laughter in his eyes as he watches his friend cough and splutter like that when but a minute ago he looked so dignified and elegant.

"Oh, I would certainly be delighted."

He looks down at his plate, debating where to start. It's not that he has a sweet tooth - his order was a small strawberry-and-cream sponge cake and the two chocolates; one, classic cherry liquer, the other the enigmatic moss one. How funny it would be to feed that one to Hades, if he manages to get his friend off-balance enough...

At the same time, seeing him so flustered was entertaining, and it's the kind of entertainment Hythlodaeus does not want to trade away just yet. He delicately cuts off a little piece of the cake, loading it onto the spoon masterfully, and holds it out to Hades, the look on his face saying that yes, he's perfectly aware of just how cheesy this is, and he's not going to back down.

"Say 'ah'~"

...Despite his earlier thoughts, it's all Hythlodaeus can do to avoid laughing. In truth, he doesn't know which is funnier - teasing his friend, or annoying him... so he tries to go for both.

Glowering at his friend, Hades dutifully leans forward and opens his mouth to accept the morsel. There is no 'ahh' forthcoming - he has more dignity than that. He keeps staring suspiciously at Hythlodaeus though, as though expecting to be tricked at the last moment.

He hopes no-one is watching. He feels like expiring right here, right now, out of embarrassment.

Hythlodaeus watches the display, his heart singing at the glowering. Yes, this is how things should be, and he practically hums with triumph at having the upper hand again. It's almost surprising in its own way, the depth of competitiveness he appears to have - but maybe he simply never noticed before since Hades could never offer much of a challenge before.

The suspicious stare is particularly amusing, and Hythlodaeus can't help grinning at it, pretty much flaunting his enjoyment of embarrassing his friend.

"Why that look, Agesandros? Is the food not to your liking?"

He withdraws the spoon, at first content with intending to place it down... but then another idea occurs to him, and, ooh, this one is so much more fun. Instead of putting it down, he takes the spoon into his own mouth, as though to lick off the little crumbs and the smidgen of cream left on it, keeping his eyes on Hades the whole time, eagerly awaiting his reaction.

He covers his mouth as he chews, but there is a distinct flush in his cheeks that can yet be seen. Curse his friend for having absolutely no shame...!

"No. 'Tis quite good actually. You ought to try it yourself."

He debates returning the favour, but he cannot think of a gesture which Hyth would not shamelessly embrace. Perhaps he ought to let his friend have this round. There would be plenty of other opportunities to get him back.

So he simply nudges one of the black rose-flavoured chocolate pieces on to a spoon and wordlessly offers it to the other man.

Hythlodaeus gives him another smug smile that fades to fond and affectionate in the blink of an eye.

"I know. I know you dislike overly sweet things, but the baker here tends to go for more natural flavours. I like that the strawberry adds a hint of tartness - 'tis sometimes too boring to have a mixture of things that are too similar."

The slight hesitation before Hades returns the gesture does not escape Hythlodaeus, either, and he gives himself a mark for besting his friend once again. He leans forward to accept the chocolate, a content smile on his face, but he takes the treat into his mouth slowly, closing his eyes before drawing back and fixing Hades with a mischievous look as he lets the chocolate melt on his tongue. He offers no further comment, simply keeping eye contact.

The expression on his face turns mulish. He looks down, focusing intently on taking his own bite of dessert. If there is aught different between the usual rose flavour and black rose flavour, he cannot taste it. Ignoring that, however, it is quite good. He supposes the appeal is that the filling is dark to match the cafe's general aesthetic.

"...I still do not enjoy sweet foods, but I have grown fond of sampling new things. Mayhap, once we secure more regular income, we could make these outings a more regular practice," he suggests tentatively.

The problem with Hades's expressions, of course, is that every time he makes a sour face Hythlodaeus knows that whatever it was he did had effect; ergo, it's his win once again.

"I would love that. There is much and more to discover about this city... and we needn't limit ourselves only to the dining establishments! As long as we are here, I would want to learn more of this world, with how 'tis simultaneously alike and different from ours. There may be knowledge to take back, too."

Edited 2020-12-18 12:38 (UTC)

"Indeed... Such as that museum you showed me earlier. I'm sure there is much and more to discover about this place besides its odd magicks."

He hesitates. The achievements of the fragmented races, with that limited capacity for aether, would likely have been of interest to their more academically-minded populace once upon a time. That knowledge alone would give their researchers something to ponder for centuries. But much of said knowledge had its roots in weaponry and warfare.

Sighing quietly, he sets his now-empty mug down. "I have overseen some twelve millennia of innovation and development by various nations," he says in a muted tone. "If I could but make a crystal record of it, mayhap you would be able to use the knowledge to save our people."

It would be a lie to say that Hythlodaeus is not utterly curious about what the mortal races have achieved, how close or different from their own world's their scientific lines of thinking are... but something else takes precedence in his mind.

He watches Hades carefully for a time, trying to decide what to say. He isn't stupid in the least, whatever anyone might say, and the wording does not escape him. Though it looms in his mind, Hythlodaeus has not yet given much thought as to what might happen after their task here is complete - what might happen to Hades. As he understood it, his friend is both alive and dead, twelve thousand years ahead of Hythlodaeus himself, and where would he have to go once this is over?

All heavy thoughts and ones that require careful discussion. No, they do not know enough about this world yet, about what it is they must do to save their own. It would likely be foolish in addition to disheartening to bring it up now.

"I would love to see such a record, indeed. I wonder if there are any crystals fitting for the purpose here... They seem to use these tomestones for storing and transferring information as well, but I do not have a firm grasp on the principles yet. It seems to be done more... manually than what we are used to. I must needs confess I find my wrists a little sore from the typing at times."

He shakes his head in faint exasperation. "You need not type it all, 'Daeus. The device can record your voice and image. Still tedious, to be sure, but far easier on your hands."

Hades toys with the remnants of his cake. "That said, I should think crystals with the ideal composition for record-keeping can be found more easily here than in the prior world I found myself in. That world knew nothing of the existence of magic. This one, however, must surely be brimming with it to have such diverse disciplines. I suspect you could apply your cognitive magic to it and record memories that way with enough practice."

Hythlodaeus hums curiously, all earlier thoughts forgotten at the prospect of putting his newfound talents to use and finding out more about Avalon.

"That may be possible indeed. After all, if one of the applications is being able to transfer my thoughts to others, same must be possible with other suitable vessels. In fact, I do wonder about the aetheric composition of objects here - would it be the same as in our world, or different somehow? 'Tis truly a curse not to have the Sight anymore. I never realized how much I took it for granted."

He sighs, finishing the last of his tea.

"But surely the construction of an appropriate vessel must fall to you, the alchemist. Have you had much success in the discipline yet, by the way?"

He concurs with a low hum and polishes off the remainder of his food. This has been a pleasant outing. Were they to discover a means to preserve memory, this would be amongst the first he committed to record.

"No. The idea did not come to me until just now." He leans back, hands clasped in his lap. "I'm sure 'twill be a simple incantation. Finding the raw ingredients will be the tricky part. We must needs find some sort of aetherically charged lode if we don't wish to spend the coin to buy one. I shall have to ask around."

Hythlodaeus drums his fingers on the table thoughtfully.

"You've the right of it. Not to mention, we've yet to secure a proper source of income, and if we are to experiment we are likely to need a large amount of raw material. I also wonder whether 'tis possible to solicit help from these 'fae'... As I understand it, they are the peoples of this world most attuned to aether, their skills on par with ours."

"Hythlodaeus," he growls, "have you forgotten that your initial dealing with the fae got you into debt?! Even in the world you've yet to know, fae-kind are not to be trifled with."

He vents a sigh and closes his eyes briefly. "Before asking favours of them, we will have to prepare adequate compensation."

He grins, absolutely undeterred by the scolding.

"But if I hadn't gotten in debt, would we still be here like this? I'd like to think 'twas my ingenuity that brought us together."

That is, regrettably, true, and Hades scowls harder for it.

"Regardless," he says crisply, "take more care when making deals with the fae. I am not going to bail you out of trouble every time."

Glancing at the remains of their meal, he sees they're both done. "Did you have further plans for today?"

He laughs, easily.

"Aside from spending time with you? Not particularly. We may as well head back - I imagine you must needs be eager to get back in bed."

Just a reference to his penchant for napping and naught more.

He rolls his eyes and starts to stand, taking out his phone as he does to squint at the paltry amount of gold he has. It should be enough to cover his share at least, he hopes.

Once they've settled the bill, he holds out his hand for Hythlodaeus to hold as they walk back.

Hythlodaeus has to use part of his borrowed gold to pay for the meal on his end, but hey, they already agreed it wasn't such a bad decision.

Something about Agesandros offering him his hand, though, makes Hythlodaeus's heart swell with warmth. Being together with his friend, so different and yet undeniably the same, despite the tumult of both their future and past... it feels like a miracle in its way. He takes Hades's hand, entwining their fingers together, as though hoping to transfer his affection through the simple touch.

He's uncharacteristically silent on their way back, lost in his thoughts. The knowledge that they might never get to experience aught like this back in their own world weighs on him again, and a small part of Hythlodaeus wonders whether this was a good idea at all. What would he do if they failed here? How would he be expected to deal with his own fate, with that which awaits Hades? Admitting his feelings only made Hythlodaeus all the more terrified of losing his friend--an unworthy thought, perhaps, given the selfish nature of such fear, but he, too, is only a man. Love is both a foible and a blessing not so easily shaken off.

He finds himself stealing brief glances at Hades as they walk, as though studying his appearance, the differences and similarities between his features and those of Hades he knows.

"...Why did you choose that body?"

they just might??

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TYPOS GO AWAY

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i want you to know i facepalmed irl at his spoon idea

Hyth you're lucky he loves you

god hes shameless. i hate him.

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emet will live to regret those words once beetle happens

hyth is just Regrets Central

someone: why do you like him; emet, putting a ring on hyth's finger: i do not

emet, kissing Hyth passionately in bed: I hate him actually

i fully expect that to actually happen at one point

with Felih watching and grinning madly

hades denies it afterwards

bites Hyth and leaves a hickey - see? he hates him

THAT IS NOT HOW THAT WORKS